Chaubisi rajya

Chaubisi rajya (Nepali: चौबिसी राज्य) -- literally "24 principalities" -- were sovereign and intermittently allied petty kingdoms in the Gandaki River Basin, a major Himalayan tributary of the Ganges.

Prithvi Narayan Shah ascended the throne of chaubisi principality Gorkha in 1743, then proceeded to build modern Nepal by conquest, treachery and treaty. He unified about half the 24 principalities, the entire Kathmandu Valley around the present capital Kathmandu and additional principalities further east before dying in 1775. Annexation of the rest of the 24 proceeded under his son Pratap Singh Shah (ruled 1775-77) and grandson Rana Bahadur Shah (ruled 1777-1799). The Shah dynasty was outmaneuvered by another chaubisi family, the Ranas or Kunwar family of Kaski and Lamjung in 1846 and reduced to figureheads until 1953.

The 24 principalities were Gorkha, Lamjung, Tanahun, Kaski, Nuwakot, Dhor, Satahun, Garahun, Rishing, Ghiring, Paiyun, Parbat, Galkot, Palpa, Gulmi, Argha, Khanchi, Musikot, Isma, Dhurkot, Bajhang, Bhirkot, Piuthan, and Butwal.

A parallel group of 22 small kingdom -- Baise Rajya (Nepali: बाइसे राज्य) -- had existed to the west of the Gandaki Basin. These were also annexed by the Shah dynasty before 1799.